Back to the Swing of Things! Dream Workday Schedule

The past few days I had a staycation paid vacation! I changed companies and started a new job back in May so I've been very focused on my on-boarding, building my book of business and fostering creativity at work. The primary reason I took vacation was because my parents and sister were flying in front Atlanta to visit. Since I've really been in the swing of things at work lately, I had to be very mindful of switching gears, being super present and winding down to enjoy time with my family. Over the years I've built pretty strict habits around my digital availability when I am out of the office. On Friday afternoon I made my Slack status "palm tree emoji", turned my auto-reply email on and went off the professional grid! I made sure to submit my PTO request weeks in advance, had my calendar blocked off and also had a free meeting calendar block I sent to my team as a reminder I’m out of the office. Luckily we had no customer issues arise and I took a few days off to focus on the family! I'll admit… it's taken a lot of practice to flip the switch off this simply... and having access to this 'on off' switch is a major perk of being in sales (I think). If you plan accordingly, you can take a true vacation.

Tuesday evening my Dad said "Back to the grind tomorrow?" and I replied "No way I'm really enjoying my job right now! I don't grind I want to work!" Maybe grinding is good, but to me grinding sounds hard and I like pleasant things most of the time. So, back to the swing of things! Swinging is fun. In order to get back to being productive and creative quickly, I think establishing a healthy, stringent morning routine is very supportive and effective. TRUST ME - my mornings once were the antithesis of routine. Traveling and waking up in different cities, early meetings to connect across global time zones, maybe sometimes a 7:00am workout - all over the place. Working remotely the past year has given me the opportunity to establish a healthy routine that through major experimentation, works fabulously to support me creatively and energetically. Here's a *ideal* work day schedule that helps me get back to work focused and energized:

MY IDEAL REMOTE WORKDAY SCHEDULE!

7:00am - 8:00am Wake up. Meditate. Gratitude Journal. Hot Lemon Water. Check my Oura Ring data. Check my calendar.

8:00am - 9:00am Stretch. Read a book (preferably outside in the hammock, weather usually permits this in San Diego). Drink green juice (I do not make fresh juice everyday, this is where I cut corners and use Amazing Grass mix I buy at Sprouts). 

9:00am - 9:30am Shower. Skincare rituals. Get ready for the day. Eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Take supplements.

9:30am - 11:00am Check email. Check Slack. Video Conferencing Meetings. 

11:00am - 12:00pm Walk outside and listen to podcast or Audible. Reply to text messages.

12:30pm - 2:30pm Eat healthy lunch, usually a protein and kale smoothie or a salad. Meetings/Calls. 

2:30pm - 4:00pm Email. Document writing. Administrative activities. Project work. 

4:00pm Assuming I completed all of my work I needed to accomplish for the day, signing off! 

Book Recommendation 

Atomic Habits by James Clear





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